Released on 25th May 1984, ‘Smalltown Boy’ launched the gay synth-pop band Bronski Beat into the charts and onto dancefloors with its glorious synths, hi-NRG production and Jimmy Somerville’s soaring falsetto, which sang a story of rejection, pain and escape. Here, with the help of musicians, its iconic video's director and others, Bailey Slater [...]
"It's almost like being in a House Music Hall of Fame." Marshall Jefferson is the latest artist to receive a Defected Records 'House Masters' compilation. Out on 29th May, the Chicago house pioneer will release a 40-track retrospective that will highlight Jefferson's solo hits, production credits, remixes, and underground favourites from his 50 year [...]
Pioneered by Thakzin and co-signed by Kaytranada, this twist on Afro house combines elements of amapiano, Afro tech and broken beat. Shiba Melissa Mazaza charts the genre's rise. It was a sweltering December evening in Johannesburg and I was perched onstage behind a speaker, only arm's length from the decks. All around me, a [...]
TO MARK THE ostensible 40th anniversary of Chicago house music, Derrick Carter and DJ Heather will headline a free event at Chicago’s Daley Plaza, which begins at noon on May 29. House Music 40 has teamed with the ARC Music Festival to produce the event, which Mother Diva will host. It’s the first of several events the city is [...]
https://youtu.be/96oDgSEpcrQ?si=oLLp9KjXCE8A4Fr2 Overview Born Carlos Sosa in 1969, DJ Sneak emerged as one of the key figures in the second wave of influential Chicago house producers. Though not native to the Windy City, Sneak's musical journey began in the early 1980s when his family moved from Puerto Rico to Chicago. Unable to understand English, Sneak found solace [...]
If you’re writing music for nightclub DJs, there is a formula you need to employ if you want them to play your tracks to a dance-floor. Here’s how to set up your tracks for success. Dropping science The term ‘Dance Music’ can relate to anything from Techno to EDM, House Music to Drum n’ [...]
The hotly-tipped Brazilian DJ/producer and label head gives us the low down on his invigorating Afro House tribute to Brazil's indigenous peoples. Hey Maz, congratulations on your Beatport #1! Have you had a chance to celebrate? Hey Beatport fam, thank you so much! I want to thank you all for the support on the track; [...]
When the South Bronx dance-punk outfit ESG released their Martin Hannett-produced debut EP in 1981, they had no idea how pivotal their stripped-back, funk-fueled sound would be on the evolution of hip-hop and house music: ‘UFO’ has been sampled over 500 times; ‘Moody’ was a staple in Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage sets. Four decades [...]
After four-plus decades of DJing and with a incredible list of releases — much of it produced with longtime partner Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez as Masters At Work — the pioneering Louie Vega would seem to have little to prove. Yet he’s working harder than ever, with the same energy he had as a young [...]
While live shows remain the biggest source of income for most DJs surveyed, 85 per cent would rather spend their time making music. Nearly half of DJs find that securing gigs has become more challenging and less lucrative in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the 2024 IMS Business Report. The annual [...]